Self-supporting sled-tongue



L. M HELLEMS AND G. C. SHAFER. SELF summmc sun romsum- APPLICATION'FILED OCT- i8, [SI-9.

1,374,148. PatentedApr. 5,1921.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEONARD M. HELLEMS AND GILBERT C. SHAFER, OF MOCLUNGS, WEST VIRGINIA.

SELF-SUPPORTING- SLED-TONGUE.

Specification 01' Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

Application filed October 18, 1919. Serial No. 331,582.

T 0 (ZZZ whom it may concern Be it known that we, LEONARD M. HEL- LEMS and GILBERT C. SHAFER, citizens of the United States, residing at McClungs, in the county .0f Greenbrier and State of West Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Self- Supporting Sled- Tongues, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to improvements in sleighs and the principal object of the invention is to provide means for rigidly supporting the tongue of the sleigh so as to pre vent swinging movement of the same as the sleigh is driven over rough ground.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the tongue may be quickly and easily removed from the frame when desired.

The invention also consists .in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illus trated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing our invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure l is a plan view of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view partly in section.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1.

In these views 1 indicates the body of the sleigh which is provided with the cross piece 2 at its front end. Midway the ends of the cross piece is located a loop member 3, loosely receiving the end of the tongue l. A yoke member 5 has its ends suit-ably secured to the cross piece adjacent the sleigh runners and the central part of this member is formed with a socket 6 through which passes the tongue 4:. A hole 7 passes vertically through the socketed part of the yoke member and is adapted to receive the pin 8 which passes through the double tree 9 and the tongue. We may provide a bracket 10 for the double tree of angle form and having openings therein for receiving the tongue and said pin.

It will thus be seen that the tongue is held against swinging movement as it is firmly secured to the cross bar. The said tongue may be easily removed by withdrawing the pin 8 and pulling the tongue out of the loop member and the yoke. The yoke will take the weight of the tongue off the horses necks and will prevent the tongue from raismg higher than the horses heads which would cause the horses to stop the sleigh with their legs. By our invention the sleigh can be held back by the horses on almost any kind of a grade as the tongue cannot rise so that the strain of the horses on the breast chains will be placed squarely upon the tongue. As the ends of the yoke member are located adjacent the ends of the cross bar there is not much danger of said bar being broken. In turning the sleigh the strain is taken by the yoke member, which transmits it to the ends of the cross bar adjacent the runners so that the sleigh turns very easily.

By making the yoke member of metal it may be bent to adjust the position of the tongue vertically.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of our invention will be readily apparent.

We desire it to be understood that we may .make changes in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claim.

What we claim is In combination with a sleigh, a yoke member having its ends rigidly connected with the stationary front cross bar thereof, said yoke member having a centrally arranged socket and a hole passing vertically through said socketed part, a loop member on the cross bar, a tongue engaging said socket and loop member, a double tree, a bracket carried by the tongue and engaging said double tree and a pin passing through the bracket, double tree and the hole in the yoke member'and through the tongue.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

LEONARD M. HELLEMs. GILBERT o. SHAFER. 

